Rodon In a League of
His OwnAmong Top Sophomore
PitchersThe 2013 NCAA Division
I season kicks off in earnest on Friday, and scouts will get their
first chance to bear down on some of the top arms in this year’s
college draft class, notably Indiana State lefthander Sean Manaea,
Arkansas righthander Ryne Stanek and Stanford righthander Mark Appel,
rated the top three prospects overall.
Proportionately less
attention will be focused on the top three college arms in the 2014
class, but scouts say there’s little, if anything, to distinguish
North Carolina State lefthander Carlos Rodon, Vanderbilt righthander
Tyler Beede and Louisville righthander Nick Burdi from their
counterparts in the current draft crop.
Like Manaea, the
consensus top prospect this year, Rodon is ranked No. 1 overall in
his class. Both are hard-throwing southpaws capable of reaching the
mid- to high 90s with ease, and have excellent overall command.
Like Appel, Beede is a
former unsigned first-round pick. Appel was selected eighth overall
in 2012 by the Pirates after his junior year at Stanford, while Beede
passed up a first-round offer in 2011 out of a Massachusetts to
attend college at Vanderbilt. Both pitchers have similar stuff.
Like Stanek, who may be
the hardest thrower in this year’s college class with a fastball
that has routinely reached the upper-90s, Burdi is the acknowledged
hardest thrower in the 2014 class—and has even upstaged Stanek on
numerous occasions by reaching triple digits.
Rodon, Beede and Burdi
headline Perfect Game’s latest look at the Top 300 Prospects in the
2014 class, though they don’t rank 1-2-3 overall as the top of the
board has been sprinkled more liberally with some exceptional
high-school talent. Rodon, though, stands out as a clear No. 1.
Catcher/outfielder Alex
Jackson (Rancho Bernardo High, San Diego), shortstop/righthander Nick
Gordon (Olympia High, Windermere, Fla.) and righthander Touki
Toussaint (Coral Springs Charter High, Coral Springs, Fla.) are the
top three rated high-school players in next year’s class.

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